Chapter 61: A Dress...?
The ruin wasn’t a ruin at all.
That was Ronan’s first thought as the six of them stood at the edge of a massive stone structure half-buried in the snow.
The architecture wasn’t elven, human, or anything he’d seen in the Frontier before. The walls were carved with symbols that didn’t match any language he recognized.
"Who built this?"
Anastasia asked, her rifle already in her hands.
"No one knows."
Elena spoke for the first time since the campfire, her staff glowing faintly as she scanned the entrance.
"But our client has leading information previous expeditions didn’t have."
"And that same client wants something inside?"
Ronan asked.
Alexander didn’t answer. He just gestured toward the archway.
"You three first. That was the deal."
Ronan shrugged and stepped forward, Sarael still draped across his back. Anastasia followed close behind, her rifle raised and her breath visible in the cold air.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the temperature dropped instantly. Anastasia’s teeth chattered, and even Ronan felt the cold pressing against his skin like something alive.
"Yvraine, give us a warming spell. It’s hard to move in this cold."
At Alexander’s order, warmth washed over all six of them a moment later, and their movements immediately became easier.
"So, what next?"
Ronan asked as he stopped at the entrance to the massive central chamber. Even from here, he could already tell how many people had used the place as a campsite.
"This."
Alexander stepped forward, holding a strange relic in one hand as he approached a massive dark wall etched with unfamiliar runes.
"Apparently, every expedition that tried to explore this place ended here. The walls were unbreakable, and they never found a mechanism that led to anything deeper."
"So this place just became another campsite for hunters who got lost?" Anastasia asked.
Elena nodded in confirmation.
"Until now, of course."
Alexander pressed the rune at the center of the wall, then drew his greatsword and stepped back, bracing for whatever came next.
Yvraine moved forward next, producing a strange dark elixir in her hand before pouring it over the tip of her staff. It coated the wood in darkness as she aimed it directly at the wall.
Then, with a murmur in an unknown language, every rune on the wall lit up. The relic Alexander had placed glowed brightest of all as the entire wall suddenly began to rumble.
A few seconds later, it sank downward, revealing a vast cavern and a wide walkway that looked as though it could fit two planes side by side, wings included.
"H-Holy shit!"
Alexander blurted out, his greatsword clanging against the floor as they stared at the opening. But even more shocking was what lay below the walkway.
Only void. Endless darkness, stretching for what could have been kilometers below.
And yet, beyond that darkness, there was a city, glowing faintly and seeming to float. With no path that seemed capable of leading there without forcing them to take a long deadly plunge.
"This isn’t what I was expecting," Ronan said.
He was the first to step through the opening and onto the walkway. As soon as he did, the pillars lining the path flared to life with violet flames, illuminating the way ahead.
When the final pillars ignited, they revealed a colossal statue of a robed woman, as large as a mountain. From the waist down, it was swallowed entirely by the void below, making its true size impossible to judge.
"I don’t think this is what anyone was expecting," Anastasia added, following after him, her gun already loaded and ready.
Once all three of them were on the walkway, the others followed.
"Let’s get going then," Ronan said cautiously, his hand touching Sarael’s, which remained hooked around his neck.
"If you sense anything dangerous, get us out of here immediately."
✧ ✦ ✧
The walkway stretched on for what felt like kilometers, the violet flames casting long shadows that danced across the ancient stone.
The six of them moved in a loose formation, Ronan and Anastasia at the front as agreed, Sarael still on Ronan’s back, and Alexander’s group a few paces behind.
Anastasia kept her rifle raised, sweeping the path ahead.
"The Frontier’s been explored for decades, but nobody’s ever mentioned anything like this."
"Because nobody’s ever gotten past that wall."
Elena said from behind.
"Our client spent years researching the runes. Most of it was trial and error."
"Must be a genius then if he managed to solve something the Association couldn’t."
Anastasia glanced back.
"Could be."
Ronan tuned out their conversation, focusing instead on the statue ahead. The robed woman loomed larger with every step, her features becoming clearer.
Her hands were clasped in front of her chest, and her head was tilted downward, as if she were watching them approach.
Something about her posture felt familiar.
’Sarael.’
He thought, keeping his voice internal.
’Does this place feel familiar to you at all?’
Her arms tightened around his neck.
[...Yes.]
’How?’
[I don’t know. But the statue and the flames. I’ve seen them before. A long time ago.]
Ronan didn’t press further. Her voice in his head had been hesitant, almost uncertain. Whatever this place was, it was connected to her somehow.
The walkway ended at a circular platform that ringed the base of the statue. Up close, the scale was overwhelming.
The hem of the woman’s robe alone was taller than any building Ronan had ever seen.
"There’s an entrance."
Anastasia pointed toward an arched doorway carved into the statue’s robes, partially hidden by the folds of stone fabric. Violet light spilled from within, the same color as the flames lining the walkway.
Alexander stepped forward, his greatsword resting on his shoulder.
"This is where our job starts. The client wants something from inside. We get it, we leave."
The six of them entered the statue.
The interior was hollow, a vast vertical shaft that rose into darkness above and dropped into darkness below. A spiraling staircase carved into the walls was the only path, winding upward around the perimeter of the shaft.
"Up we go," Ronan said.
The staircase was narrow, forcing them into single file. Alexander took the lead this time, with Elena behind him. Anastasia followed, then Yvraine, with Ronan and Sarael bringing up the rear.
They climbed in silence for several minutes before the staircase opened onto a chamber. It was circular, with walls covered in the same runes that had sealed the entrance.
And in the center, suspended in a beam of violet light...
Was a dress.
[That’s...]
[That’s my dress...!]
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